1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to organizers for holding items.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is desirable for an organizer or storage device to be rotatable, to permit easier selection of desired items.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,732,131, issued on Oct. 15, 1929, to Benjamin S. Mahaffey, discloses a revolving display stand using jars for storage. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that in it the rotating portion of the organizer has an axle with both of its ends attached to a mounting bracket.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,732,298, issued on Oct. 22, 1929, Charles E. Arthur, discloses a revolving spice tray, with recesses in which the tops of items may be inserted. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that in it the containers or the lids of the jars are fastened to the slats.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,927,283, issued on Sep. 19, 1933, to Robert M. Hernandez, discloses a rotating display stand using jars or other containers for storage. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that in it the jars or other containers are retained on slats.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,436,289, issued on Feb. 17, 1948, to Thomas L. I. Carlson, discloses a rotating parts rack using jars for storage, having a pivot portion is the center of an axis of rotation. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that in it the axle is retained on its ends in the mounting bracket.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,557,801, issued on Jun. 19, 1951, to Joseph Shapiro, discloses an under shelf attachment for containers, which, unlike the instant invention, does not rotate.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,936,901, issued on May 17, 1960, to George D. Siemantel, discloses a rotatable storage and display assembly for parts, which is suspended from a ceiling or other surface, rather than resting on a support bracket as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,944,761, issued on Jul. 12, 1960, to Bernard H. Best, discloses a rotary spool rack, which does not use jars or other containers as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,337,082, issued on Aug. 22, 1967, to Henri J. Dorgelys, discloses containers that can rotate, but does not disclose that the rotating portion can be lifted out of a mounting bracket, as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,620,363, issued on Nov. 16, 1971, William C. Donnithorne, discloses a rotating storage and display device, with tubes that are parallel to the axis of rotation. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that in it the jars can be unscrewed from lids attached to rotating slats, or the containers are attached to rotating slats.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,674,155, issued on Jul. 4, 1972, to Lester A. Kessler, discloses a rotating tool storage device, with trays or holders suspended from the rotating part, but without lids attached to the rotating part, from which jars can be unscrewed, as in the first embodiment of the instant invention, and without the rotating portion being manually liftable from a mounting bracket, as in the second embodiment of the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,965, issued on Apr. 23, 1974, to Albert Champagne, discloses a storage unit having an upright post with several circular plates with lids attached to their undersides, from which jars can be unscrewed. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that it rotates on a horizontal rather than vertical axis, and the jars or other containers extend outward from the axis of rotation, rather than parallel to it.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,628, issued on Jul. 22, 1986, to Michael M. Lowing, discloses rotary storage structures, which rotate on a horizontal axis, but without jars that can be screwed off from lids, or other containers attached to slats, as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,748, issued on Aug. 1, 1989, to William G. Burgess et al., discloses a ferris wheel shaped fixture holding apparatus, but does not disclose jars or other containers retained on slats as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,260, issued on Jan. 23, 1990, to Jane Ancona and Bruce Ancona, discloses a rack for cylindrical containers, in which the containers are retained in apertures, rather than the containers or their lids being fastened to slats as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,361, issued on Dec. 3, 1991, to Robert W. Jeffway, Jr. and Catherine R. Dobosz, discloses a rotatable crayon caddy, but does not disclose a rotatable portion retained on a mounting bracket that is separate from the rotatable portion, as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,670, issued on Jan. 28, 1992, to John J. Zimmer, discloses a revolving storage device for small items, with end caps of containers being affixed to a rotating drum, but it does not disclose rotatable elongated attachment members, as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,582, issued on Jul. 20, 1993, to J. C. Marshall and James C. Marshall II, discloses a rotating holder for screws, bolts, nuts and washers, but does not disclose jars or containers mounted on slats as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,049, issued on Sep. 28, 1993, to James E. Murphy, Sr., discloses a rotating tray caddy for holding items such as nuts and bolts, but without the closed containers of the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,828, issued on Feb. 29, 2000, to E. Stanley Robbins et al., discloses a turntable storage device, but does not disclose jar lids or containers mounted on multiple slats, as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,132, issued on May 2, 2000, to Bryan Robert Becker and Sean M. Murray, discloses a magnetizable parts holder, including a revolving drum having externally-mounted magnets. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that it does not require the use of magnets, and has jar lids or containers attached to slats.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,326, issued on May 22, 2001, to Mark A. Higgins, James David Robertson and James Douglas Whiten, discloses a beverage display rack with head locking keyways, but does not discloses that it rotates as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,207,448, issued on Apr. 24, 2007, to Frank Martino, Jr., discloses a modular storage system, with containers Attached to the undersides of shelves, but it does not rotate as does the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,275,647, issued on Oct. 2, 2007, to Alan S. Thompson, discloses a spice rack having a rotatable carriage with tracks within which containers are retained. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that in it the containers or the lids of jars are fastened to slats.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 264,604, issued on May 25, 1982, to Howard Sussman, discloses a design for a desk unit for paper clips and sundries, without the closed containers of the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 278,585, issued on Apr. 30, 1985, to Rodnie D. Oldham, discloses a design for a rotatable storage rack for spice jars and the like, but not containers that are attached to slats, as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 320,141, issued on Sep. 24, 1991, to Kenneth L. Farrell, discloses a design for a spice rack, but not an axle retained in a mounting bracket, as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 329,573, issued on Sep. 22, 1992, to Serge Picard, discloses a design for a container storage assembly, in which the lids of jars appear to be fastened to a member that may rotate, but it does not disclose that the lids or containers are retained on slats between end pieces, as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 347,769, issued on Jun. 14, 1994, to Marcus W. Kibbe, discloses a design for a combined revolving spice rack and spice grinder containers, in which the lids of the containers appear to extend outward from the rack, rather than lids or the containers being fastened to slats as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 369,710, issued on May 14, 1996, to Serge Picard and Dominique Lesquir, discloses a design for a revolving container storage assembly, but it does not disclose that the containers are retained on slats between end pieces, as in the instant invention.
U.S. patent No. D488,643, issued on Apr. 20, 2004, to Gerald Birmingham, discloses a design for a portable storage unit, with shelves that may rotate, with the shelves having holes that may retain jars, but it does not disclose lids or containers fastened to the rotating part, as in the instant invention.
U.S. patent No. D542,583, May 15, 2007, to Mark A. Watchowski and Loretta S. Watchowski, disclose rotatable elongated attachment members, as in the instant invention.
French Patent No. 2 76 341, published on Nov. 20, 1992, to Michel Paris, discloses a wine cellar with rotary hydraulic elevated storage racks. It does not discloses jar lids or containers attached to rotating slats, as in the instant invention.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.